


Shear Water

by Rain_wander



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M, Marmaid au, This plot was inspired by Subnatica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:35:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23274091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rain_wander/pseuds/Rain_wander
Summary: At first, it was a war between the humans and the merfolk but after 30 years it's become so one-sided that it's now a glorified slaughter. Galo, a member of a special division of the coast guard has no idea that the merfolk human's capture aren't ACTUALLY being relocated but after helping in the capture of Lio (A notorious Merman warrior in the fight against the humans) and his escape the two learn the horrible reason behind the murder of millions of merfolk at the hands of Kray Foresight.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	Shear Water

Waves crashed as the large vessel was hammered from what seemed to be all sides. The crew knew the ship was sunk, she was already half full and there was so much water on deck people were slipping and sliding as they rushed for the untouched lifeboats intentionally left untouched in the attack. Frantic yelling joined in the noise of rushing water and weapons striking the already compromised haul of the ship. The captain’s voice called out across the ship from the PA systems that Wave Rescue had been called and were on their way.

By the time she was basically submerged the crew were counting heads in the lifeboats, the specialty coast guard team; Wave Rescue arrived to ferry everyone back to the main island of Promepolis. The crew cheered for a moment until their attackers surfaced again, this time to attack the rescue ship. 

A small aircraft launched from the ship and circled far above, inside Aina quickly took stock of the situation and reported. 

“All 40 crew members are accounted for, only the ship seems to be lost. Three hostiles incoming, and from the gear they’re sporting I’d say they’re the last three members of Mad Maelstrom that have yet to be apprehended.”

Three armored merfolk cut through the surface of the water like knives as they darted for the ship, the stranded sailors called out to the rescue team in desperation but almost as if expecting the attack the large ship had already quickly deployed two single manned amphibious mech suits that skimmed along the surface of the water like gerridae. 

“Remi, see to the lifeboats on the left. Varys, you get the right.” Ignis commanded over their comms.

“Yes, sir!” they responded in unison before quickly using their suits to round up the lifeboats with rope and begin to pull them toward their ship. 

The three armored merfolk were clad in so much armor they almost looked more like robotic sea creatures rather than merfolk. The leader’s armor was solid black and far more jagged and pointy than any armor had any business being. The other two merfolk were equally covered and as they split off; each heading to interrupt a separate mech rescue suit it was clear that this did not slow them down at all.

The one attacking Remi began to bark insults, proving just how dangerous his armor was as his clawed gauntlets ripped into the metal of the mech. Varys was in a similar situation while the leader merfolk watched, as if bored. 

“Hey a little help?” Varys yelled as he managed to ram a leg into the merfolk’s gut just for a calculated claw strike to take out his other leg in retaliation. His mech started to sink and Remi snapped his attention over to Varys after slipping his hand out of the mech; nearly breaking it as he jammed it between some of the plating on the merfolk he fought ramming his fingers into his neck. The merfolk fell back into the water holding his throat and gasping. Remi took the moment’s break to spin his mech and blast over to Varys trailing waves in his wake as he scooped up his comrade. 

“If I have to keep saving you like this you’re going to owe me a month’s worth of dinners.” Remi joked as he scooped Varys up. 

“Hey that's a win win in my book.” The larger man nodded.  
“Chief we need the greenhorn out here!” Aina reported.  
“Time to play with our new toy~” Lucia giggled and before anyone could ask the vehicle launching track activated and with uproarious laughter Galo, came flying off the ship, and into the water. Around his body a fitted suit covered most of him, leaving only his midriff exposed and under it, his regular specialty issued Wave Rescue diving gear. Reaching for the back of the fitted armor, Galo grabbed a spear like weapon and with the suit’s help he cut through the water with all the grace and speed of the Merfollk.

“Come on!! Show me what you got you big smelt!!!” Galo yelled as he slammed his polearm into the side of the half submerged merfolk that was giving Varys trouble. Letting out a sound of annoyance He spun and clawed at Galo, but the human blasted out of the water.

“Meis above you!” The other called out as he swam over. Meis looked up just in time for Galo to slam down on top of him, submerging them both. 

Meis struggled to get Galo untangled from him while the human beat into him with reckless abandon. The mech fists ripped and tore at his armor and Meis briefly thanked his luck that the human’s spear was on his back and not currently being used on him.

The two surfaced in their struggle, Meis now without his helmet.

“Gueira!” He called out, and Galo turned just in time to leap off of Meis and avoid being punched with the full force of how fast the other merfolk had been swimming. Of course without Galo in the way, Gueira and Meis collided hard and the two became tangled for just long enough for Galo.

“Gotcha!!!” He yelled, turning midair and aiming his right hand at them. Out of the palm shot a highly compressed mass that at first looked like a black ball, but just before reaching the two merfolk it suddenly expanded into a net that enclosed around them both. Once around them it compressed tightly and they struggled, Gueria even tried to cut through it with his armored claws but it was no use.

“Haha!” Galo began to taunt.  
“Galo the leader!” Aina warned over the comms.  
Galo stopped his fall back into the water, using his suit’s air jets to stay just above the surface as he turned and stared down the leader. The larger armored Merman stared unmoving as if he were somehow sitting atop the surface of the water, not even a ripple coming from where the water met his armor. The stillness of him, and the air of intimidation he was giving off made Galo pause a moment, but not from fear. He grinned ear to ear.

“Lets go, big bad boss bass!” Taking his polearm from his back, Galo rushed forward along the water’s edge as if he were skating, jagged walls of water blasting up behind him.

Without a word the merman stayed absolutely still and just before Galo was about to meet him, he lashed his entire body around and smashed his powerful tail so hard into Galo that the suit’s sensors malfunctioned for a second and he skimmed along the water’s surface like a skipping stone before he dig his arm into the water like an anchor and let the water take him under.

The merman dove as well and this time met Galo head on. Underwater anything Galo said would just echo in his rebreather helmet so he focused only on fighting, trying to keep the Merman just far enough away for his longer weapon to be useful. His skill and suit could only keep up with the obviously trained merman for so long before his movements grew just a little slower. Regardless of the suit assisting him, Galo was still not as used to moving under water as the mermen and it was showing ever so slowly. He was closing the distance with only his armored claws and eventually Galo needed to break away for the suit to get some air. Thankfully when he jammed his polearm between the two of them and pushed off of the merman it seemed he too needed to pull away for some air. 

Breaking the surface Galo used the suit’s air jets to rise half out of the water, The mermen rose to about that level himself, though only using his long powerful tail. He seemed huge.

“You fight well for a human. I will grant you the respect of an introduction. I am Lio Fotia.”  
“The name of the man who’s going to stop you is Galo Thymos!” He proclaimed and Lio huffed.  
“Stop me?”  
“You and your Mad Maelstroms have sunk dozens of ships and caused millions in damages!! People are scared to go to the beach and fishermen are losing their livelihoods!”  
“But has anyone drowned? Has any fishing vessel that doesn’t over fish been touched? Have we even been seen near your shores?”  
“Er-n-no.” Galo faultered, feeling stupid for not having realized those points himself.  
“Merfolk do not take joy in the pain and suffering of humans yet for millions of years you have all continued to tell stories and legends of how monstrous we all are.”  
“Maybe if you stopped scaring everyone by sinking ships all the time and attacking things we build on the water-”  
“Enough! I was foolish to expect an idiot like you to understand.” Lio slid his hand along his tail and manipulated some of the exterior armor panels to come loose and form a sword.

“Come, Galo Thymos!” 

Galo grit his teeth and the two charged toward each other, when the pole of his spear clashed with Lio’s sword Galo wondered in the back of his mind what this really was all about. Each struggled to push the other back, Lio’s powerful tail pressing him on, Galo’s suit struggling to blast him forward. A warning flashed on his visor about the suit systems failing but Lio hadn’t the time to react before Galo intentionally over clocked the air jets. The water around them exploded as air blasted all around Galo, the force sending Lio backward just a bit before he quickly stabilized himself in the large waves caused by the air pressure. Being preoccupied meant he just barely noticed the spear in time as it shot out of the mass of water falling back into the sea and ricocheted off of the side of his helmet. 

Galo came at him so quickly that the impact broke the armor around his hands when he tried to block him. With his spear gone and half of the suit floating in the water Galo was only in his regular rescue gear, rebreather and what was left of the legs of the suit still attached to his feet. 

Galo paused for a fraction of a second, surprised by how young and...small Lio looked under all that armor before he began to grapple with Lio in an attempt to rip it off like he had the other two mermen. The two sunk as they struggled, Lio punching anywhere he could but it seemed to do nothing. This human was larger than him and stronger than he had first realized. It was easy to assume that suit was what allowed him to rip apart their gear but now as Galo pulled off a large part of the armor covering Lio’s side he realized this brute had done it himself.

Fighting like this was taking all of the breath Lio was holding and at this point the armor was more of a burden then a help. Using his right hand to keep punching at Galo, his free hand unfastened the last parts of the armor that anchored him to it and the second he was free he shot out of the shell and toward the now distant surface.

For a moment he was sure of his speed, sure that Galo would never catch up to him especially without his gear making him slower. Then the net enclosed around him from behind. Just like with his comrades it tightened and quickly the merman’s arms were pinned to his body awkwardly, tail bent at an odd angle. He could hardly move, a wiggle here and there was all he could manage.

Galo swam up to him, proudly and motioned to a small gun like weapon before snapping it to his hip. The grin on his face was interrupted when Lio bore his sharp teeth but did not attempt to bite the netting.Galo eyed him and grabbed Lio much like the merman had seen many struggling humans being carried and swam for the surface with him. 

Lio hissed once his head was above water, and Galo smiled as he swam them back.

“So what have you got to say for yourself big tough Mad Maelstrom leader?” He taunted, but Lio said nothing. It was now that Galo noticed how small he actually was, if he were human and hadn’t used a long powerful tail, Galo was sure he would be fairly short. His arms and torso were thin and small but given their fight Galo was impressed by how much power someone of such a small frame could have. He wondered if the rumor he had heard about fish being 70% muscle was true before a large armored vessel that dwarfed that of Wave Rescue’s caught his attention. It was anchored right next to his own and they were boarding. It was Shock Force. 

Galo swam into the ship's moon pool, the entrance to which automatically sealed the second he was inside. Before breaking the surface of the water he noticed the other merfolk weren't in there as planned. His confusion was answered the second he broke the water.

The Shock force leader was karting away the other two mermen in a large open basin of water, both of them with their hands bound. Galo climbed out of the moon pool, Lio still on his shoulder and got right up in the leader of Shock Force’s face.

"Hey what the hell? We did all the hard work, we have our moon pool ready for relocation further from Promepolis. What's your deal?!" He barked and the larger armored man grabbed a device from his belt and jammed it into Galo's side. It was a tazer and still being wet meant that both Galo and Lio felt it full force.

The Shock Force leader plucked Lio away from the rescue professional like a wet limp noodle, deactivated the net and tossed him into a waiting tank. Lio was numb, merfolk being especially weak to electronic weaponry it took him several minutes to regain control of himself, by then a lid was placed on top of the tank. His eyes snapped into focus and he weakly slammed against the lid, Galo and the Shock Force leader stopped arguing and turned. The larger man pointed to the tank and said something but with the lid on Lio couldn't hear anything, not that he cared. At the moment he was much too worried about breathing. There was only a few inches of air between the surface of the water and the locked lid and Lio had the wind knocked out of him from the shock, he needed a breath. With everything he had he slammed into the lid again, his lungs screamed at him and he weakly gasped in what little air he could, dimly wondering if this was the pathetic way he would die.

Galo rushed forward, and a few Shock Force members grabbed him, yelling something but he stretched his hand out and flipped off as many locks as he could before punching the lid askew, breaking a finger in the process.

Lio gasped and pressed himself to the crack, his gate way to fresh air. 

"I told you he was suffocating! See? He's still gasping and panting!" Galo yelled angrily as he tried to get the Shock Force men off of him. Lio eyed him, he was smarter than he thought.

"Who ever heard of a fish drowning?" The leader taunted and Galo growled, standing to argue more before Ignis stepped in.

"Leave it Galo."  
"But- are they going to relocate the merfolk? They didn't even notice that they needed to breathe air!"  
"I said leave it. It's out of our hands now." Ignis insisted and Galo settled on scowling at them.  
"That's right, the governor himself put us in charge of this, so step aside small fry." The shock force leader stepped passed Galo, slamming his shoulder into him hard, grinning while he scooped up the tank holding Lio in one arm.

The entire time Lio was being carried off his eyes bore into Galo's, head still as close to the crack in the seal of the lid as possible. Before the two could no longer maintain eye contact, Lio nods his head once,and Galo's eyes softened. A silent thank you.

\----

The crowd that had gathered so quickly for such an impromptu awards ceremony was impressive to say the least. Kray Foresight, the governor of their island city had made an announcement stating that Wave Rescue was responsible for the capture of the notorious Mad Maelstrom merfolk and for his massive part in it, Galo was to receive a medal.

The ceremony felt off to him however, even as the crowd cheered and the rest of his crew agreed to celebrate over pizza. Something was eating away at Galo and it was clawing away in the back of his head.

Even as he ate and had a good time with his crew, it still bothered him. Eventually Galo decided he needed some time to think on his own and he parted from the group as the day wore on.

Galo made his way to a lagoon tucked away between some of the more overgrown part of the island and an old, out of use light house. 

The lagoon was small and the water that trickled in from the sea was so clear and clean it was like looking into glass. Now the tides were coming in and Galo could watch as the lagoon slowly became more and more alive.

"Something on your mind?" Galo turned to see Aina approaching the lagoon. He smiled.  
"I didn't think anyone else knew about this place."  
"I didn't. I just followed you out here. You looked like something was bugging you." Aina sat and smiled, a silent offer to talk.  
"Sort of."Galo paused, leaning his head in his hand as he stared out at the water in the lagoon. "Doesn't it bother you how Shock Force just showed up and took over?"

"Well, we still got credit for doing all the work."  
"No I don't mean it like that. Weren't they originally founded to combat the merfolk if they started a war? But the last few years they've been getting more and more active in their pursuit of merfolk relocation." He explained and Aina nodded.

"It is a little strange. Do you think the merfolk might have been gearing up for a war and Shock Force got wind of it and now it's just Kray using shock force to keep things from escalating?" Aina suggested and Galo pouted.

"I don't know. If it was that wouldn't we be seeing more and more weaponry? Like on both sides?" He offered and Aina hummed.

"Why don't you inquire at the governor's office tomorrow and see what the relocation area was? It might not give you an answer but it's a start." Aina was also now confused about the situation, which beforehand she had simply chalked up to the big bosses making choices above her pay grade. Galo's eyes were distant as his mind worked away, he was the first to admit that a lot of the time he wasn't very tactful or traditionally smart but he had been told he was clever and good at seeing people's hearts. Maybe he could be clever here and now.

\-----------

While people gathered in the island city for the governor's sudden press conference, Shock force's vessel was docking at the main government port with its prizes. The shape of the island was interesting due to an area where the sea seemed to cut into the land like the tip of a spear. 

The muscle bound humans manhandled the tank that held Gueira and Meis cramped and both pressed to the small space in the lid for breath. Their tank was hauled out first and if looks could kill every human would have dropped then and there with the glares Gueira and Meis were giving them.

Shortly behind them came Lio, the lid of his tank still shifted thanks to Galo. If the glares from his subordinates were enough to kill, then Lio's was terrifyingly calm.

As both tanks were carried through the facilities, Lio memorized as many details as possible, even noting what was held in place and by what. As they went on the building seemed to become less militaristic and more akin to a research center. This became even more striking after a long lift ride down and out into a level with all clean white walls and glass. 

Finally they passed through a door into an area where the walls were mostly glass and Lio could feel the moisture in the air, could smell the antiseptic, and the sting of blood. This was it. 

As he was marched through the hall he passed by the humans rooms for their experiments, the tanks filled with merfolk being used and miss-treated, operating tables in use and labs. It took everything he had not to burst out right then and there. Every fin and frill on his body was spread out, taking up even more of the very little room he had in the tank, but Lio couldn't fold them, not while he was so goddamn angry. Gueira and Meis were fairing no better than he, but Lio felt a swell of pride at their restraint. Soon, their time would come soon.

Rather complacently Gueira, Meis and Lio were all dumped into a large tank near the end of the hall. Other merfolk were quick to come out of hiding once the Shock Force members left, swimming out from behind large pathetically fake plants, large hunks of wood or large stones.

A young woman regarded Lio curiously, but with a deep sadness in her eyes.

"Oh no...it's Lio Fotia...if they caught you than the humans really are going to wipe out all the merfolk." As she finished signing dozens of other merfolk who were slowly coming out of hiding fell, their bodies seeming to lose a bit of life. Gueira and Meis were quick to jump in, their long powerful tails flicking with annoyance and passion.

Gueira and Meis both began rapidly signing at the same time.

"No way!"  
"We got caught on purpose!"  
"We're here to get as many of you out as we can."  
"The boss has a plan. Just wait and see!"  
"Follow us and the Mad Mealstorms will make sure you escape!"

The captured merfolk all looked to Lio who nodded confidently and instantly it seemed as though their broken spirits were renewed.

"But Mad Mealstorms…" A older woman who had stuck near a makeshift den of logs began to sign. "...there are some of us the humans have taken too much from. They’re not strong enough to escape."

Lio's brow creased and without a word he swam in close, passed the other merfolk and leaned to peel his head into the den. Inside lay a young mermen who looked like he was more surgical sutures than a living thing and Lio felt his heart ache for the boy.

Still silent he swam into the den, over the boy and gently touched his face. The den was so tight half of Lio's tail was sticking out but he took care not to touch the boy in any way as to avoid further injury. The boy's single good eye opened just a little and instantly filled with tears. He struggled to sign and Lio considered stopping him but in the end he settled on letting the poor kid speak.

"You...here...us...saved...you...hero." the boy's arm drifted back down lazily and Lio sighed both to the boy and to his caregiver.

"I will get you out of here. All of you. Even the boy. How do you give him air down here?"

"We made a harness out of the plastic plants and I carry him on my back. He can be moved a little but it's getting harder and harder. He isn't healing anymore…" The mermaid paused and fished out the harness from under the sand that lined the bottom of the cave to show him. Lio nodded and turned to the boy.

"You called me a hero. Can you be brave and strong for me and hold on a little longer?"

The boy groaned but signed back. "Hurts…can't swim…"

Lio's hand ghosted over some of the stitches, the humans took ligament, and tendons from him, he would probably never be able to swim on his own again.

"I will carry you myself. I will swim for you." Lio was thankful the water hid his tears. The boy smiled as best he could.

"Swim with...hero...Lio...will...be strong...like you." The boy struggled and stopped signing and Lio took his hand. 

Tonight. They would see the sun rise as free merfolk or he would die trying.

\------

As the day wore on Lio and his two subordinates had the rest of the merfolk rest while Lio personally inspected the large aquarium they were in. He noticed the large steel grates blocking pipes that seemed to be pumping fresh water in from the sea and stale water out.

Once night fell, Lio strapped the boy to his back and used a stone he had flattened to unscrew the grate for the intake before ripping it off of the wall. The second it was ripped off an alarm went off.

"You need to swim against the current in a single file. Follow Gueira! He instructed and the merfolk quickly darted into the large pipe. 

Lio turned and could see humans heading toward them from down the hall and his brow creased. He turned to Meis, strapping the boy to him with an apology, and the boy nodded in understanding. 

The second Meis and the boy were in the pipe near the bottom of the tank, Lio curled his webbed fingers around one of the large boulders in the tank, and lifted it. Shock force members entered the room along with scientists just in time to gasp at the site of what they assumed was a thin, weak merfolk tossing the bolder hard enough into the glass of the tank to shatter it. Water, and glass blasted out of the hole and every human in the room was knocked off their feet and scrambling. Screams and the sound of water crashing and breaking things filled the entire floor, and Lio rode the water through the halls to the elevator, using his tail to knock out every human he passed as he darted through the water like a bullet. The glass shards couldn't even touch him and he even had time to rip a keycard from a man's belt before making it to the elevator.

At the door he slammed the button for the floor they had docked in, having memorized it. Alarms blared but the elevator came anyway and the second the door opened more Shock Force members were shocked by the sudden blast of water but in the confined space the four men didn't lose their footing like the others had. Brow creased, Lio rushed the inside of the large lift like a storm, whirling around in the stomach height water fast enough to knock out two and break the third's leg before they could do much of anything. The fourth managed to pull out his electronic baton and moved to taze Lio but the merman bent at an angle that looked painful for a human, leaned on his hands underwater and used his tail to break the man's knees. He screamed and Lio slammed the key card against the reader, then hit the button for the docking bay. The door started to close but paused due to the man with the broken knees laying in the way slowly letting the water drain into the elevator shaft. Lio shoved him out of the way and the door finally closed.

The wait was short, and when the door opened next, the water that had given Lio his advantage drained out onto the floor. Waiting for him, between the water and Lio were a dozen Shock Force men eyeing the merman, who was pressed flat against the floor, his tail too long to fit in the large lift looped back and curled around and under him.

Hand on the floor, head up Lio hissed loudly and every fin and frill on his body sprung up to make him seem huge, even his hair fluffed up. A few humans stepped back, mumbling, but the braver among them laughed, joking about Lio being just some animal. This did it. They thought him helpless on land did they? With speed no man was capable of, Lio shot out of the lift like a coiled snake striking. His entire body slammed into a man’s chest, knocking him into another. The humans rushed him but the second Lio was on the floor he was moving again. He was like a multicolored blur, darting around the clumsy humans who were bumping into and tazing each other like clumsy oafs. Once he was close enough to the water, Lio reared up on his tail like a cobra, the action making his small (for a merman) size suddenly seem huge. He towered over everyone in the room and the few humans able to rush after him were too far away. He smiled smugly, chin turned upward and sprung into the water.

Obviously whatever these horrible humans were doing to merfolk, it wasn't studying them or Shock Force would have had a much better idea of what he was capable of.

**Author's Note:**

> (Plot was inspired by Subnatica, not real-world events)


End file.
